286 + = CURRENT MINIMUM POTENTIAL TOTAL
How many more?

According to the New York Times, Oct. 22, 2010: Port Manager Doeringsfeld "said he had been approached by several other companies..."

Developments:

24=day Imperial Exxon's so-called "test" shipment took to cross Idaho (174 miles)
60 = Imperial/Exxon modules shipping north from the Port of Vancouver, Washington.
33 = Imperial/Exxon modules being cut in half at the Port of Lewiston, Idaho, for shipment via Highway 95 to I-90 & east to Montana.

U.S. 12 Travel/Tourism Businesses

Throughout the Highway 12 corridor, more than 150 businesses depend in good part upon travelers, tourists and area recreationists in order to stay in business. These are mostly small businesses of the sort Governor Otter, Idaho legislators, and Idaho's Congressional Delegation say they want to foster. The Lolo Pass to Lewiston total is 150 (and likely misses some). Add in Clarkston, Washington, which receives travelers and tourists from the east via U.S. 12, and the total is 189. Also affected by U.S.12 traveler/tourist traffic are these nearby communities: Weippe, Pierce, Asotin, Lapwai, Moscow, Pullman, Grangeville, Riggins, Cottonwood, Winchester, Craigmont, Whitebird, and Elk City.

Travel/tourism ranks 3rd among Idaho's top industries, and these business along the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway create a large portion of that economic success. Losing these businesses will cost the whole State of Idaho and all Idahoans. Since we all know we are already economically suffering, turning our Byway into an industrial truck route truly constitutes the proverbial "shooting of ourselves in the foot."

Should the scenic byway become recharacterized as a mega-load truck route — with bright lights and lots of noise night after night waking sleeping tourist at campgrounds along the Middle Fork and Lochsa — tourists will likely stop coming to north central Idaho. And at least 150 mostly small businesses, some the sole livelihoods of families, will suffer.

Here is a list of business in the corridor that may be seriously affected should the U.S. 12 Scenic Byway - All-American Highway be recharacterized by Governor Otter, the Port of Lewiston, and Big Oil as an industrial mega-load truck route.